Armed Forces Day - ‘Music For Heroes'
Posted by Hunter on Tue, 06 Apr 2010.
As the United Kingdom prepares to celebrate the second annual Armed Forces Day in June, the activities will now include ‘Music for Heroes’, the inaugural event of which in 2010 will be centred on the geographical heart of the country in Leicester.
This new project has been devised by the Cranwell based charity the Royal Air Force Music Charitable Trust, in partnership with Help for Heroes, as a way to establish a unique musical tribute to H M Forces on operations. Bringing together the country’s finest military musicians, all of whom are routinely required to undertake active service on operations around the world, Music for Heroes enables all our ‘heroes’, past and present, both on stage and in the audience to join together as a tribute to those who have been injured or made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
Music for Heroes in 2010 will take place at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester on Thursday 24 June with the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment. The event will also feature various soloists who have recently returned from operations in Afghanistan, along with the Shades of Blue Orchestra – one of the Royal Air Force’s Big Bands also from Royal Air Force Cranwell.
The concert will be compered by BBC Radio 2 presenter Ken Bruce, and will also feature special guest vocalist Tori Beaumont.
As a tribute to all members of Her Majesty’s Forces, the Royal Air Force Music Charitable Trust is also offering complimentary VIP tickets to anyone who has recently returned from active service in Iraq or Afghanistan, both serving and retired. Representing those who have sadly fallen in battle, or are unable to attend through injury, these invited guests will be the focus of attention during a poignant moment in the evening’s concert when all will remember the sacrifice still being made around the world by our troops today.
Malcolm Goodman, the organiser of the event stated that “Music for Heroes came about when my RAF musician son-in-law was deployed on active service to Afghanistan in 2009. Having retired from the RAF myself following 22 years as a musician, I was determined to now use my previous experience to enable all military musicians establish a special annual musical tribute to all their service colleagues on operations today”.
For further information or offer your support to this Armed Forces Day event please visit the website at www.musicforheroes.org.uk